Adair County continues to be cautious regarding both its General Revenue and departmental budgets as it plans for more than $11.6 million in expenses and nearly $10.9 million in revenue for the upcoming budget year.

The gap between revenue and expenditures reflects the county's cautious budgeting, reining in prospective tax revenue collection numbers while inflating potential expenses. Last year's budget called for a similar gap, but the year ended with closer expenses and revenues.

And while most of the departmental budgets stayed level or declined for the year, including a sheriff's department budget that spends about $100,000 less compared to the 2012 budget, the county commission approved an increase of about $45,000 for the Adair County Prosecuting Attorney's Office to hire a second assistant prosecutor citing a significantly increased workload.

"Everyone is doing their job," said Presiding Commissioner Stanley Pickens. "Everything seems to be working so much easier. Everyone is trying harder. They know what we got and we're living within our means."

Pickens also observed that, at least anecdotally, this year's budget process was easier, more streamlined and allowed for select equipment purchases and budget increases like the one providing for the additional assistant prosecutor.

"Right now, the budget is looking very promising," he said.

Commissioner Mark Thompson echoed those sentiments, saying, "It's been easier this year. There were no big surprises."

So, rather than cut department budgets, force layoffs or put off equipment purchases, the county is able to invest in an about $250,000 courthouse improvement project, build a new records storage building in addition to expanding its county prosecutor's office from two full-time attorneys to three.

"We added a second assistant prosecutor," said Adair County Prosecuting Attorney Matt Wilson. "It will be entry-level, new attorney to help with the increase in misdemeanor caseload."

Wilson said January has been particularly heavy in the number of cases brought to his office, including those that will never see a courtroom but still take time to process.

"Although we have an increase in the charges we're filing, there's a greater increase in the number of reports getting to our office," he said. "We still have to review those, contact witnesses and victims and that is an increase in reporting."

Wilson said Adair County averaged one felony arrest a day for the month of January, particularly high and one of the reasons for the increased workload.

"Obviously it's been a busy month," Wilson said, not even referring specifically to the several high-profile cases in January including the murder investigation at Village 76, multiple methamphetamine manufacturing arrests and an ongoing child molestation case involving two Kirksville residents. "We need to make sure we're prepared to deal with everything."

Page 2 of 3 - The commission approved an allocation of about $295,000 from General Revenue for the prosecutor's office, in addition to about $70,000 allocated from the Prosecuting Attorney Admin Fund, for a total budget of about $371,000. Last year, the department was budgeted about $328,000.

When Wilson's office makes its hire, it will be the first time since at least the mid-90s there are three attorneys working out of the prosecutor's office. Assistant Prosecuting Attorney

David Goring said he believed there were two assistant prosecutors in addition to the lead prosecutor for one or two years and then the office operated with just the two attorneys until now.

Wilson said in addition to the criminal proceedings, his time during 2012 was also dedicated to serving as the county's attorney in several matters, representing many of its offices in legal matters.

None of the commissioners expressed any issue with the additional hire.

At the same time the prosecutor's budget is increasing, the Adair County Sheriff's Office is budgeting about $100,000 less for 2013 than it set aside in 2012.

The sheriff's office is budgeting about $1.8 million in expenses and about $1.65 million in revenue. Last year, the department had set aside nearly $1.9 million but ended up spending about $1.7 million.

This year was the first in at least three years that Sheriff Robert Hardwick did not ask to use a Countryside Fund to cover inmate medical costs at the jail. While the fund has been used in the past, the last two years during budget discussions Hardwick had requested the use of $10,000 in 2012 to $45,000 in 2011 to help prop up his budget.

The county commissioners had unanimously declined those requests but did not have to make a similar decision this year with Hardwick cutting his own budget, noticeably in personnel costs.

According to the budget, the sheriff's office will spend nearly $300,000 for its deputies salaries and about $380,000 for its corrections officers' salaries. Last year, those two categories totaled nearly $40,000 more. A similar decrease was also reflected in the department's benefits category, leading to a total savings of about $80,000.

At least one deputy, who had been on paid administrative leave for months, was fired from the department in late 2012.

Hardwick declined to be interviewed late this week, citing a desire to review final budget documents as they had been received by state budget officials in Jefferson City.

The county submitted its final budget to the state earlier this week in time for the Thursday deadline.

Another focus in years prior, the county's Road and Bridge Fund also appears to be on steadier footing, with budgeted revenues of $3.5 million and expenses of about $3.2 million.

In years prior, the county commission had dealt with significant costs in the Road and Bridge Department and financial fallout from several disaster relief efforts stemming from the tornado in 2009, flooding in 2010 and the blizzard in 2011.

Page 3 of 3 - While 2012 brought record drought levels, dry weather doesn't impact the Road and Bridge budget like other natural disasters and the department did not have to cut its employee's hours like it did last year.

"We've been keeping the roads in good shape," Pickens said. "We had a good summer and this year we'll be rocking south of [Highway] 6 after rocking north of 6 last year."

The commissioners also highlighted the construction of eight bridges in 2012 with the majority of those costs covered by either the Federal Emergency Management Agency or grant funding in its budget cover letter, along with noting county voters approved a local use tax to help boost the Road and Bridge fund.

Pickens said with at least some guarantee of additional funding from the use tax and less expensive road operations, the Road and Bridge Department was able to make about $84,000 in equipment purchases it had held off on for years.

While the additional use tax funding will be welcome, the exact amount of revenue it will raise is still uncertain with the commissioners likely waiting until the 2014 budget cycle to put those funds to use.

The county did not include a cost-of-living increase in its 2013 budget, but each departmental head was allowed to provide their employees with merit raises within their respective budgets.